McConville and Atcheson anchor Northern Ireland's unbeaten Nations League defence
Northern Ireland lead Group B2 without conceding a goal, with young centre-backs Ruairi McConville and Tom Atcheson stepping in for injured regulars.
Northern Ireland enter their final Group B2 fixtures against Ukraine and Hungary top of the pool and as the only side at any level of the Nations League yet to concede a goal, despite enforced changes in defence. Trai Hume has covered the injured Conor Bradley on the right flank and even started in centre midfield against Ukraine last month, while Dan Ballard is nursing a hamstring injury.
At the heart of the defensive effort are Ruairi McConville and Tom Atcheson, two young centre-backs described by manager Michael O'Neill as having "no ceiling". McConville, 21, of Norwich City, has taken on Ballard's role in the middle of the back three for the past three games, with Atcheson on the right and Oxford United's Ciaron Brown on the left. McConville leads the group in clearances made with both head and boot.
McConville said keeping the record through the last two games would be "unbelievable", framing the streak as a collective effort rather than the work of the defensive three alone. He described Northern Ireland as a team that works hard and does not want to give anything up, adding that the unit is still early in its development and must take things game by game.
Atcheson, 20, made his international debut in a friendly against Wales in March when he had only four senior club starts at Blackburn Rovers, then scored the winner against Guinea in June before being sent off. He has now played some 428 minutes for his country without conceding. The England-born defender acknowledged Ballard "is definitely a big miss" but said the squad's grasp of O'Neill's system explains its solidity.
O'Neill's first spell featured centre-backs Jonny Evans, Aaron Hughes, Gareth McAuley and Craig Cathcart, all of whom started in a flat back four at Euro 2016. Since his return four years ago he has used a back three, with Sunderland pair Hume and Ballard adding Premier League quality to a squad largely drawn from the Championship and League One.
Image: Getty Images / BBC Sport
